Toil And Trouble

by H. P. Mallory

  “There’s no way Rand could know all of our soldiers,” I argued, shrugging off his concern with a flick of my wrist.

  Sinjin nodded and returned his attention to the window. I couldn’t help but wonder what the hell was out there that was so interesting. As far as I could see, there was nothing beyond the velvet black of night. He must have been avoiding eye contact with me.

  “That is true but he also posesses a master list of identities. I learned that we are due to be charmed tomorrow eve in order to gain access to the fairy village in the Cairngorms.”

  “What fairy village?” I asked, this information unbeknownst to me.

  “We are to take refuge in a fae village, Pet, prior to the battle.”

  “And how will Rand charm the vampires? I thought our magic didn’t work on you.”

  Sinjin smiled. “It does not, Poppet. The undead will be supplied with keys.”

  Fae keys are nothing like regular keys. I only had one experience with them and the key basically acted like a dog of the pointer persuasion. It led Rand, Christa and I to a tree, where it then lodged itself, granting us entrance into the fairy village where I’d first encountered Odran.

  And without a fae key or Rand’s magical charm, I wouldn’t be getting anywhere near a fairy village anytime soon. Good thing I had Sinjin on my side, even though he was still in my bad books.

  I nodded, thinking the pieces were beginning to fit. If I were Sinjin’s human, it would make total sense that Rand wouldn’t know me because he couldn’t be bothered with the vampires’ human luggage.

  “That could work, then,” I said, chewing on my lip as I digested the information.

  “In order to be successful, Love, you will have to act the part of my human,” Sinjin said, looking me up and down again. He must not have fed because he was entirely too interested in my body. I scowled at him, not wanting to give him any ideas. Just because I’d agreed to his plan didn’t change the fact that I was still pissed.

  “What do you mean by that?” I asked.

  “It means you must dismiss this anger towards me. My humans desire and fear me, Pet, they do not harbor anger against me.”

  I refolded my arms across my chest, feeling uncomfortable under his scrutiny. And as to his humans desiring and fearing him—I wasn’t a normal human; I was a witch. “Well, I’m still mad at you, Sinjin,” I started. “And I’m not afraid of you.”

  He chuckled. “You are aware I could kill you quite easily?”

  I shrugged. “Actually, no I’m not. Ever since our sparring, I can hold my own.” He smiled lasciviously so I quickly changed the subject, lest he call me on my bluff. “I’m just agreeing to be your human because it makes the situation significantly easier on me. As far as I’m concerned, you’re still a jerk.”

  He nodded and didn’t seem the least bit offended. “Then you will have to act well, Poppet, if you do not wish to draw attention to yourself.”

  “I guess so.”

  The blackness of night was now evaporating into a dark grey as night prepared to hand over its throne to day. “I must return shortly, Love, dawn is coming.”

  “In two days, Christa and I are supposed to be boarding a plane for Australia. Our flight departs an hour before your flight to Aberdeen.”

  The fading moonlight broke through the clouds, bathing Sinjin in milky white. I swallowed hard, not wanting to admit, even to myself, the fact that Sinjin was pretty damned hot.

  “I will meet you at your departure gate,” he said. “Have you informed Christa of your intentions?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “And…”

  “That’s for me to figure out and doesn’t involve you,” I interrupted. I’d have to charm Christa into boarding the Australia flight on her own, that’s all there was to it. And it wasn’t a reality that pleased me—influencing one’s best friend via the powers of witchcraft definitely wouldn’t win me any friendship awards.

  “Very well,” Sinjin said quietly and started for the door before apparently remembering something and turning back around. “What of our sparring?”

  I shrugged. “We have two days left before we leave for battle. I don’t think I need any more practice.”

  He nodded. “You will drink from me prior to the battle. And you will need to double your dose.”

  I nodded, thinking he made a good point. “We can plan for that at a later time.”

  “Very well, Poppet, I will see you at the airport.”

  He opened the door and was about to shut it before it occurred to me that he’d have no idea who to look for as I hadn’t shown him the picture of my alternate identity.

  “Don’t you want to know what I’ll look like?”

  Sinjin smiled in that way of his. “I will know you by your scent, Love.”

  #

  It had been a day since the fight between Sinjin and Rand and I still hadn’t seen Rand. The barrier to his room remained in full effect and all of my attempts to reach him telepathically went ignored. I might have been concerned about his personal well being but Christa had said she’d caught him in the kitchen, noshing on an apple. So, he was just ignoring me. Fabulous.

  Now, as I walked into the forest bordering Pelham Manor, I couldn’t escape my sadness and desperation to make things right. The war was looming closer and closer and time was slipping through my fingers like sand. Even though I’d be fighting alongside Rand, I wanted to set things straight before I boarded the flight to Aberdeen. But, now that wasn’t going to happen. I wondered if Rand would even say goodbye.

  Oh well, I had to shelve such thoughts for the time being—now I had to focus on completing my transformation into my Vogue counterpart.

  I stepped over a rotted tree trunk, covered in verdant moss and stood in front of a massive pine tree. It was the same tree I’d been using to enter Mathilda’s village. I imprinted my palm on the tree and closed my eyes, imagining the passage leading to Mathilda’s house. I opened my eyes to find the trees had disappeared, revealing the now familiar dirt path leading into the village.

  I started the quarter mile walk that would take me to Mathilda’s doorstep. No one was in the village and that depressed me even more as it reminded me of the fact that very shortly many of this village’s inhabitants might never return. Upon reaching Mathilda’s cottage, I knocked once. She opened the door and greeted me with a placid smile. I tried to offer my own happy greeting but couldn’t disguise the fact that I wasn’t happy.

  “Hi, Mathilda,” I said.

  Her smile fell. “Jolie, what is the matter?”

  “Everything,” I grumbled and entered her house, the smell of brewing tea welcoming. I took a seat at the wooden kitchen table. It was really the cross section of a tree, supported by four smaller stumps.

  I reached inside my coat pocket and handed Mathilda the rose drenched with my magic. She reached for a mortar and pestle residing on her kitchen counter, placing both on the table before me. Plucking the petals from the rose, she dropped them into the bowl, grinding them until they were reduced to a red pulp. Then she faced me and held her palms up to my cheeks, closing her eyes as she did so.

  “Do you care to explain, Child?”

  I needed a shoulder to cry on. Christa spent all her time with John and I didn’t dare confide in Pelham—the ghost was the biggest gossip around. So, I could use some female advice.

  “It’s Rand,” I said with a sigh.

  Mathilda opened her eyes long enough to offer me a knowing smile before closing them again. “What is the problem between you two this time?”

  “I broke Rand’s trust by confiding in Sinjin who betrayed my confidence and now Rand won’t speak to me.”

  God, it sounded like an episode from 90210 or something. Had my life really been reduced to a Tori Spelling soap opera? I didn’t want to answer that question.

  “And have you learned your lesson?”

  Yeah I had learned it—don’t talk about boy problems with the competition. And, more
importantly, never trust Sinjin again. I actually felt pretty stupid about the whole thing —what reason did I ever have to believe Sinjin could actually be trustworthy and not out for himself? Jealous, my ass. Sinjin probably just wanted me because he couldn’t have me.

  “Yes, I have,” I answered.

  “Then the event proved good for something,” Mathilda said. She didn’t open her eyes, but continued feeling around my face, chanting inwardly as she did so.

  “I guess,” I grumbled, trying to see it more positively but failing.

  “You must not focus on petty squabbles, Jolie. Not while you have much larger issues to face. Your focus must be on this war.”

  I sighed. “I know.”

  She opened her eyes and balled each of her hands into fists, as if she’d captured something. Opening each hand above the mortar, several opaline drops fell from the ends of her fingers into the mortar. Mathilda’s magic drops erupted into a display of flashes and spatters of multi-colored light as they fell upon the remains of the rose petals infused with my magic. She used the pestle to grind our magic together into a pink paste.

  “I had a vision, Child,” she said very matter-of-factly.

  I stiffened. “You did?”

  She nodded but appeared to be putting entirely too much effort into grinding the pestle. Something had to have been bothering her. “Yes, I want you to carry something with you into battle.”

  I didn’t have the chance to respond as she opened a drawer and pulled out what appeared to be a piece of amber. It was about the size of a quarter, but square rather than round and the thickness of my thumb. When she handed it to me, it warmed my palm. Unlike other pieces of amber, there wasn’t anything fossilized in it. It was just a pure honey color.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Amber.”

  I frowned. So, it was just a piece of amber? I’d imagined it was some magical fairy stone or at least something more impressive than what it actually was. Well, maybe this was just a lesson in looks being deceiving. It had to have magical powers if Mathilda owned it. Maybe it contained the essence of a mighty dragon—like the one I’d fought when I was at Odran’s court. Or maybe it could turn the enemy to stone by chanting a charm over it. Or best of all, maybe it was a protection amulet!

  “Will it protect me?”

  “No.”

  “Is it magical?”

  “No.”

  “What does it do, then?” I asked, finally giving up.

  “Nothing.”

  I glanced up at her in question. “Nothing? Why do you even have it then?”

  She shrugged. “It was given to me many moons ago.”

  Hmm, Mathilda didn’t appear to be the type to believe in talismans. “Why should I carry it in battle if it doesn’t do anything?”

  She shook her head. “I know not, Child. But, you possessed it in my vision and therefore, it must be necessary though we know not why.”

  I shrugged and put it in my pocket—if she wanted me to take it, I’d take it. Maybe it would turn out to be lucky—like the Underworld’s version of a rabbit’s foot. Thankfully it wasn’t as gross. “Okay.”

  “It will be of use to you.”

  “Yep,” I said before changing the subject. “I’ll have to transform myself tomorrow night.” Tomorrow evening Christa would be flying to Australia and I’d be destined for Aberdeen.

  “Our magic will be ready,” Mathilda responded.

  “All I have to do is swallow the seed?” I asked, eyeing the seed pod that had doubled in size since the last time I’d seen it. “It’s way bigger now.”

  Mathilda nodded. “Of course, it has more magic within it.”

  Interesting. “So, once I swallow it, will it work right away?”

  Mathilda nodded again. “Once it enters your blood stream, the magic will begin.”

  “And how long will that take?” I’d have to be sure to time my metamorphosis just right.

  “Perhaps thirty minutes.”

  “And my new likeness will last two weeks?”

  “Yes.”

  Suddenly it dawned on me that even though my outer appearance would be altered, my aura would still give me away with its otherworldly blue, pointing to the fact that I was a witch. “My aura,” I started.

  “Will appear human to any creatures capable of viewing it,” Mathilda interrupted.

  I nodded, mentally filing all the information. The finale to my battle overture was nearing its end. Soon the night of reckoning would be on me. And that meant I’d be up against Ryder. A cold feeling of dread twisted in my stomach. Suddenly, the thought of Mathilda’s vision in which she saw me carrying the amber talisman reentered my mind. “This vision you had, did it reveal anything else?”

  Mathilda seemed slightly agitated. “Snow.”

  I was reminded of the vision I’d had when I’d touched Sinjin while attempting to locate the prophetess. “I had a similar vision. What do you suppose it means?”

  Although England was admittedly chilly at times, at present, there wasn’t any snow nor would there be for at least the next three months. We were still in summer.

  “I do not know, Child.”

  She spooned the magic rose concoction into another bowl, this one with the seed pill resting in it. Then she emptied both the pill and the rose concoction into a pot of boiling water and the seed double in size again as it absorbed the last of our magic.

  “I can’t swallow that. It’s too big.”

  “You are not meant to swallow it. Just put it on your tongue and it will dissolve.”

  Hopefully it tasted good.

  twelve

  Christa and I had made it through security at Newcastle Airport, with no one the wiser to our false identities. Now, we waited for the flight that would take us to Heathrow airport in London. Well, Christa waited for it. I had other plans.

  “Do you think we’ll see kangaroos and koalas?” Christa asked as we sat in uncomfortable chairs and she perused a Lonely Planet guide on Australia.

  “Probably,” I answered, still trying to control the ache in my stomach due to the fact that I’d have to bewitch my best friend. Well, it also had something to do with the realization that I’d soon be transformed into another person while I hoped Rand wouldn’t suspect anything. And, as if that wasn’t enough to turn my stomach sour, I was also well aware that in a couple days’ time, I’d be in battle. Although I felt prepared, thanks to Sinjin’s training and his blood, it didn’t alter the fact that I was as nervous as a virgin on prom night.

  Christa’s eyes narrowed as she continued to study the guide. I had to applaud her; she was handling the whole situation really well. I mean, if I’d been in her shoes and soon to be thousands of miles from John while a major war raged that would determine our future, I’d be a wreck. Don’t get me wrong, Christa had been emotional about it—her goodbye to John at the airport rivaled the death scene in Titanic. But, all in all, she was handling it amazingly well and I was proud of her.

  “What exactly does it mean to ‘put a shrimp on Barbie?’” she asked.

  I couldn’t help my smirk which turned into a frown as amusement morphed into heartache. I blinked away tears as I wondered if this would be the last time I’d ever see my best friend. If Bella won, would she keep me alive? Bella’s doctrine had alluded to the fact that she wanted me alive in order to bring back her dead but who really knew for sure? And, furthermore, I could die in battle. So, all in all, there was a very probable chance this could be the last week of my life. I was suddenly overcome with the urge to escape, to accompany Christa to Australia. The feelings raged through me like an angry elephant. But, I couldn’t give in to such thoughts now. Not when I needed to fight.

  Glancing at my watch, I realized I was quickly running out of time. So, as I choked back a sob, I did what I had to do and grabbed Christa’s wrist, feeling like I’d explode if I didn’t get through this quickly. “Chris, I think I have something in my right eye, can you check and see?”
r />   She nodded and dropped the Lonely Planet guide into her lap, innocence etching her features. If she only knew what I was about to do to her...

  “Sure, just look up at the ceiling.”

  I stared at the corner of the ceiling but the tears felt as if they’d bust through any minute so I clenched my eyes closed to restrain them.

  “Are you okay, Jules?” Christa whispered.

  I bit my lip and just nodded. My hand instinctively went to my neck, searching for the piece of amber Mathilda had given me. I’d magicked the amber into a pendant, suspended on a chain. I wasn’t sure how else to keep it safe. I rubbed the warm talisman and tried to talk myself out of the tears that already glistened in my eyes.

  “Everything is going to be okay,” Christa said and took my hands in hers. “We won’t be in Australia long. Before you know it, Rand will fly down and pick us up and take us back to Pelham Manor.”

  God, I hoped it would turn out to be true…well, the part about everything being okay anyway.

  “I hope so,” I said bleakly.

  Knowing I still had to bewitch her into boarding the plane, I squeezed her hands and pictured a flurry of energy leaving my body and surrounding hers until she glowed as if in the embrace of an ethereal being. I opened my eyes and found Christa’s eyes riveted on mine. There was no emotion or expression on her face; she was now a blank canvas.

  I ignored the guilt continued with my plan. “Christa, you are going to travel to Australia by yourself. I’ll come to get you in maybe a week or so,” I started. “And you won’t be afraid.”

  She just nodded dumbly.

  “When you arrive, you will get a taxi and take the taxi to the hotel, okay?”

  She nodded again.

  “I will come back to get you as soon as I’ve finished my business here. Where are your documents and where is your hotel confirmation?”

  “In my purse.”

  The charm was done. I released her hands, heaving a sigh as I began to consider the rest of my plan. I rechecked my watch and was shocked to find twenty minutes had flown by. I had to get going.